


Invasion of the Brain Sharpeners

by doyouthinkimspooky



Series: The Smell of a Special Flower [3]
Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Alternate Universe - 2000s, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 06:16:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10985076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doyouthinkimspooky/pseuds/doyouthinkimspooky
Summary: Rindy brings home an old school library book that Therese loved as a child herself, Invasion of the Brain Sharpeners. What brings back fond memories for Therese unfortunately brings back painful memories for Carol.





	Invasion of the Brain Sharpeners

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read my main fic (My Constant, My Touchstone -- which I know I haven't finished yet ugh), some aspects of this story might not make sense. I tried not to spoil my own story by writing too explicitly about its major plot points in this story. Thanks for reading!

“Aunt Therese! Guess what I got at school today!”

Rindy ran into the kitchen and hugged Therese’s legs. Therese hadn’t finished washing the dishes from breakfast that morning, but she dried her hands with the dish towel and bent down to look Rindy at eye-level.

“What did you get at school today?” she said.

“You have to _guess_!” Rindy said.

“Oh, of course, that’s right. Hmm. Was it a prize from the treasure chest in your classroom?”

“Noooo!” Rindy teased.

“Was it an award?” Carol said. She tried to take Rindy’s backpack from the little girl’s back, but Rindy twisted away.

“No, Mommy, my surprise is in there! And it’s not an award.”

“Well I just don’t know then, sweetheart. Do you, Therese?”

Therese leaned her chin on her hand and thought, then said, “I can’t figure it out, either. Show us what it is!”

“Okay!” Rindy said, and put her backpack on the floor. She unzipped the main pocket and took out an old lime green library book entitled _Invasion of the Brain Sharpeners_.

“Can you believe they were just going to _throw_ this book _away_?” Rindy said. She gave the book to Therese.

“Oh my God,” she said softly, rubbing her fingers gingerly on the hardback. Therese was entranced by the book, temporarily forgetting about Rindy and Carol and the rest of her surroundings.

“Therese?” Carol said. Therese heard Carol’s voice, but it sounded farther away than the two or three feet of distance that actually separated them right now. It was as if fog clouded Therese’s senses, and the only patch of clarity was this book with four zombiefied children in the foreground of the front cover, and a bright white spaceship in the background behind them.

“Will you read it with me tonight, Aunt Therese?”

“Yes,” Therese said, looking up into Rindy’s eyes, “I would love to.”

Rindy smiled a large smile, and said, “Even though I already read the first chapter during recess? I couldn’t wait, I’m sorry.”

Therese ruffed Rindy’s hair and stood up.

“Of course that’s okay. You don’t have to apologize!”

“Thank you!” Rindy took the book back. To Carol, she said, “Mommy, since it’s Friday, do I _have_ to do my homework tonight?”

“No, not all of it, but let’s make a deal: you do half of it tonight and you can do the other half tomorrow. That way you can have more time tonight to relax, but you won’t be saving all of your homework for Sunday. Deal?”

“Deal!” And Rindy hoisted her backpack onto her back and ran to her room to get settled in and start her long and short division worksheets.

Carol closed the gap between her and Therese, putting her arms around her lover’s waist.

“Is there something special about that book?” she said with a sly smile.

“It’s an old book. I’m surprised her school library still had it. I remember when that book first came out. I was her age and I loved it.”

Therese showed Carol her dimples, mentally reminiscing about her experience reading the book. The school library had a first edition, too, so it was the exact same version Therese had read back in 1981. Now it was twenty years later and Rindy was going to be reading it for the first time. It elated Therese immensely to share this, her first experience reading science fiction, with Rindy. And when the girl was a little older, she hoped to introduce her to _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ and _The Twilight Zone_ , if she was interested in watching them — she already was obsessed with _Are You Afraid of the Dark?_ and _Goosebumps_ , both the books and TV show, and Therese loved reading #28: _The Cuckoo Clock of Doom_ to Rindy. Carol wanted nothing to do with any of their supernatural, spooky stories, and frankly thought her eight-year old daughter was _much_ too young to be exposed to such tales, but her interest in them was strong and apparently “all” of her friends were reading the books and watching these shows, too. Therese had offered to preview anything new and inform Carol of its contents before Rindy was allowed to consume the media, and this reassured Carol that Rindy wouldn’t have nightmares or be traumatized by any of the stories. The one spooky thing that Carol enjoyed with Rindy and Therese was watching _The Munsters_ reruns on TVLand, an activity they did every fortnight Rindy came to visit.

Carol smiled and kissed Therese, then said, “I could tell there was something special by the way you reacted when she showed it to you. It pleases me so much that you read with her.”

“Of course, Carol. I love it. When I was her age, science fiction and horror were ‘for boys.’ I don’t want Rindy to think that just because she’s a girl, she shouldn’t or can’t like the things she’s interested in. And I’m happy you let her explore her interests. I know how you feel about spooky things.” Therese sighed uncomfortably at the last sentence, both remembering what Carol had gone through just a year and a half prior, and the way her own mother had been towards her when she was a child, how other kids teased her. But also how Danny had been her best friend, sharing her interests in science and horror — they had been far too young to see _Carrie_ when it was released in theaters, but how they often watched it on tape in the McElroys’ basement, or played Dungeons and Dragons campaigns with Danny’s older brother Phil and his friend Richard.

“I want her to be happy, to be free to be herself. I wouldn’t be a very good mother if I didn’t let Rindy be just the person she is, if - if I forced her to be something or someone she’s not,” Carol said. Her tone darkened, and Therese knew what she was referring to: how Harge and his parents had tried so hard to force Carol to be something and someone she was not.

“You are an excellent mother. The _best_ mother,” Therese said, and squeezed Carol’s body affectionately.

Carol kissed Therese on her forehead and said, “Thank you, dearest.”

 

~

 

Rindy was already in her pajamas and tucked underneath the blankets, with Therese sitting next to her on the small twin bed. She had just started reading Chapter 2. All of the lights except for Rindy’s bedside lamp were off; the room had a soft, warm amber glow as Therese read.

“’Now, boy,’ the teacher said, picking up his briefcase and climbing out of the car. ‘Who wants to see me so early in the morning? Mr. Salt?’” Therese used a deep, gruff, old man’s voice for the teacher’s dialogue, and a more even-toned, neutral voice for the narrator’s.

“’No, Mr. Browser. There’s something out there on the field, and it asked me to get you immediately!’” Therese continued, using a frantic voice for the child, Michael. She even spaced a few of the words apart to make it sound like he was out of breath.

“’ _It?_ What do you mean, _it?_ ’

‘Well, it’s a kind of spacecraft, I suppose you’d call it. Looks like a big pepperpot. And there’s all sorts of computer instruments inside.’

Mr. Browser stared at Michael.”

Therese stared at Rindy, acting out the story with every line. Rindy smiled back, then anxiously looked back at the book, _what happens next?_ Therese continued to read and they finished the chapter.

“Can we read the next one? Please?”

“Are you sure you can stay awake? I thought I saw you yawning there towards the end,” Therese teased.

“I don’t care! It’s the weekend!”

“I know, but sleep is important, too. What if you’re too tired to do fun stuff tomorrow because we stayed up late reading another chapter?”

“But Aunt Therese,” Rindy said, clutching Therese’s pajama sleeve, “it’s _so good_.”

Therese laughed. “I know, I know. Believe me, I used to do the same exact thing when I was your age. I used to stay up for hours reading and reading. Then I’d be so exhausted the next day. It will still be here tomorrow, I promise. And if you want, we can sit and read together after breakfast tomorrow. We can sit together on the couch, and maybe your mom will join us too, and we’ll all sit with our books and read. What do you say?”

Rindy groaned and covered her face with her small hands.

“I _guess_.”

Therese kissed Rindy on the top of her head.

“Goodnight, sleep tight.”

“Don’t let the bedbugs bite!” Rindy said.

 

~

 

Therese quietly closed the bedroom door and joined Carol in bed. Carol was flipping through the latest issue of _Drawing_ , but she did so without focus or concentration. Therese scooted up next to Carol and rested her head on her shoulder. She sensed Carol’s chilly moodiness and lifted her head back up.

“Hey, what’s the matter?”

Carol looked at Therese with lips pursed, as if she wasn’t sure if she wanted to share with Therese what was the matter.

“Was it something at work?” Therese tried.

“No, no,” Carol said in a husky voice, shaking her head.

“Did Har—?”

“No, it wasn’t him,” Carol said.

“Was it something I said or did?”

Carol closed the magazine and turned her body to face Therese. She put her hands on Therese’s shoulders and said firmly, “No. You have done nothing wrong, darling.”

Therese covered one of Carol’s hands with her own and said, “You can tell me, Carol. Is it better to keep it inside to yourself, to have it eat away at your innards like a poison?”

But she was met with the silence of Carol’s mental debate of whether or not she should or could tell Therese what was bothering her. Therese pressed on, anyway:

“Was it something about the book? Do you think it’s inappropriate for Rindy?”

“No, it’s fine for Rindy. It’s just…” Carol removed her hands from Therese’s shoulders and looked away at the dresser to the side.

“The aliens,” Therese whispered. Carol closed her eyes in recognition and nodded. Therese wrapped her arms around Carol and held her close.

“I’m sorry, Carol. I didn’t know we were being loud.”

“It’s not your fault, Therese.”

“I didn’t mean to trigger you. I will close Rindy’s door tomorrow when I read to her before bed, and I’ll be quieter.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I know I don’t have to apologize,” Therese said, rubbing circles on Carol’s back. “But it brought back the bad memories and it’s already difficult enough to go through life trying to avoid everyone else accidentally triggering you. You don’t need it at home, the one place you should always feel safe.”

Carol gripped Therese’s pajamas and though her eyes were already closed, squeezed them shut even tighter.

“What can I do right now to help you?” Therese said.

“This, exactly this. Don’t let go of me,” Carol whispered.

“I won’t. I’m right here. I love you. You are okay. You are safe. You are wonderful and beautiful and Rindy loves you and both of us think the world of you. You are magnificent.”

“Thank you,” Carol whispered. “I love you, too.”

Therese held Carol, scribbling circles and nonsensical shapes on her back until she felt Carol start to lightly sleep. She stirred her and said, “Hey. I’m not going anywhere. But I’m going to turn off the light and then hold you again if you want me too.”

Carol drowsily nuzzled her face next to Therese’s.

“Just hold my hands while we sleep, dear. Thank you. You are… too kind to me.”

“Shh,” Therese said, and kissed Carol with pureness and love. “Anything for you, my one in five billion.”

She smiled a full smile, and Carol smiled back, gently brushing Therese’s dimples.

“My angel, flung out of space.”

Therese turned out the bedside lamps, and they tucked themselves under the covers, with Therese gathering Carol’s hands in hers for a peaceful sleep.

 


End file.
